Academic Affairs

E designation

Background

This process and the below Community Engaged Learning Requirement (E) application form was reviewed and approved by CCASC and the GFO EC in autumn 2024.

Currently, Community Engagement (E) is not a graduation requirement (like DIV is). However, it is a campus-level learning goal and schools are charged to provide evidence that all students have an opportunity to meet that learning goal. It is also important to track for our Carnegie Community Engagement Classification status. The E designation will also be on students’ transcripts.

Because the E designation is not a general education requirement and because the status of a course is likely to change depending on the instructor and community partner, the E (Community Engagement Learning) course designation will be overseen at the school level.

Designation process

Instructors teaching existing courses or sections of courses that feel they meet the E requirement for a specific quarter should go through the following process. If the exact version is taught again, the approval can be in place for up to three years. After three years, the school curriculum oversight committee/person should confirm that the course still meets the E requirements, and, if so, approve for an additional three years. See course examples aligned with Community Engaged Learning here.

  1. Fill out the Community Engaged Learning Requirement (E) application.
  2. Send application with syllabus to UW Bothell school level curriculum oversight committee/person.
  3. Requests will be reviewed by UW Bothell school level curriculum oversight committee/person using the E course designation rubric.
  4. After approval at school level, a signed copy of the application should be uploaded into a central folder maintained by the UW Bothell Assessment and Curriculum Manager.
  5. After approval at school level, the school time scheduler will work with the registrar to ensure the approved course/section is designated for the designated quarter. Time schedulers will need to notify the registrar when to remove the E designation when it no longer applies.
  6. Designation by the UW Bothell school is final (no campus level review is necessary).
  7. UWCO will not change E designations approved at the school level.

Support for E courses

For instructors developing their E courses, they can reach out to the Learning & Teaching Collaborative (LTC) for questions and support designing or redesigning their courses and curriculum to meet the E designation criteria. Instructors can contact the LTC team for consultations and resources by emailing uwbltc@uw.edu.

For support with managing community partnerships, instructors can reach out to the Office of Connected Learning (OCL) by emailing uwbocl@uw.edu.